title: 12-month self-ligating bracket failure rate with a self-etching primer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the clinical performance of a self-etching primer (SEP) with a conventional two-step etch and primer method (CM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were 39 patients with a mean age of 15 years 7 months. Six hundred and eighty-eight brackets were bonded by one operator with a split-mouth design, using Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer or a conventional two-step etch and primer (Transbond XT). The survival rate of the brackets was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier analysis. Bracket survival distributions with respect to bonding procedure, dental arch, type of tooth (incisor, canine, and premolar) and patients' gender were compared using the log-rank test. Bond failure interface was determined using the Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The bond failure rates of SEP and CM were 4.7% and 1.7%, respectively. A significant difference was found between the bonding procedures using the log-rank test (P < .05). Furthermore, canine and premolar teeth displayed a lower survival rate than incisor teeth (P < .05). Survival rates did not show significant differences between the upper and lower dental arches and patients' gender (P > .05). No significant difference was observed for ARI scores (P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate that the SEP (Transbond Plus) can be effectively used to bond orthodontic brackets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Ondokuz Mayis, Samsun, Turkey. turkset@superonline.com
authors.forename: Selma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elekdag-Turk
authors.forename: Fethiye
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.forename: Devrim
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Isci
authors.forename: Tamer
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Turk
mesh_terms: D000134:Acid Etching, Dental; D000293:Adolescent; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D003188:Composite Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003722:Dental Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000473:pathology; D004868:Equipment Failure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D055115:Light-Curing of Dental Adhesives; D008297:Male; D009532:Nickel / Q000737:chemistry; D016910:Orthodontic Brackets / Q000145:classification*; D009969:Orthodontic Wires; D019279:Resin Cements / Q000737:chemistry*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013193:Stainless Steel / Q000737:chemistry; D013499:Surface Properties; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014025:Titanium / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D003188:Composite Resins; D003722:Dental Alloys; D019279:Resin Cements; C429625:Transbond Plus Self-Etching Primer; C477790:Transbond XT; C516047:Transbond XT Light Cure Adhesive Primer; C040654:titanium nickelide; D013193:Stainless Steel; D009532:Nickel; D014025:Titanium